Traditional Japanese instruments resound in modern rhythmic and harmonic modes in Kaoru Watanabe's artfully blended musical landscapes. Navigating a nuanced web of modern issues and multicultural influences, Watanabe's extraordinary work infuses music from across the globe with the traditions of Japan, opening up an inviting, one-of-a-kind world of musical dialogue. Watanabe is joined by guest artists Gamin and Fumi Tanakadate.

The 2018 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, presented by Comcast is excited to publicize the full program for its 11th annual festival and launch the official 2018 festival trailer, which will take place from November 8-18, 2018.

Can an immigrant’s story be universal in today’s America? To find out, Emmy-award winning performer Kayhan Irani excavates memory and experience to reconstruct a sense of belonging. Using video projections, live performance, and humor, Irani embodies characters from her journey and invites the audience to share their own stories. IJ curator Alex Shaw joins Irani as a guest artist.

The koto holds a special place in Japanese music. As the national instrument, the harp-like koto features heavily in traditional music and has even carved out a place in modern J-pop. In this workshop, participants will build their own personalized traveler version of the koto. Instructor Paul Butler leads the workshop and will also show you the basics of playing.

How does intergenerational trauma in Asian and Pacific Islander (API) immigrant communities shape our relationships to labor, including intimate, familial, and emotional labor? How do we define our worth in the context of political erasure, economic necessity, and inherited patterns of gendered violence? How do we accept and remake our difficult inheritances? Five API poets share original work to explore these questions.